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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Clutter is like a melting ice cream cone

I was at a local summer hot spot with my children the other day, watching with great amusement while they tried to lap up their tasty ice cream cones before the sun melted it away. I noticed that they each had their own system for getting as much ice cream into their mouths before it dripped onto the picnic table.

My oldest son, had a very methodical approach to the cone, rotating it constantly to keep the melting at a consistent rate. My middle son, would lick and lick at one side while the other side ran in a steady stream down his arm. My daughter was by the far the most amusing... I tried to keep a straight face watching her go straight to the cone before the ice cream was ever gone, the end result...a lap full of ice cream.

It occurred to me as I watched this summer snack time, that a melting ice cream cone is much like a houseful of clutter. If we try to implement an organizational system without first clearing out the clutter in our homes, we are much like my daughter trying to get to the good part of her cone without doing the work of eating the ice cream. Our laps may not be full of ice cream but our homes remain stuffed with clutter and no matter how many "products" we buy it will not contain the mess.

Others of us are like my middle son, we focus intently on one area of home trying to organize it to perfection... not realizing that we are neglecting other equally important areas in the home. Just as his ice cream cone was melting and running, our homes will be unbalanced and we will feel frustrated.

The constant rotation method that my oldest son employed to enjoy his chocolate ice cream cone proved to be the most effective method of getting the most ice cream into his mouth. Similarly, a routine that allows us to constantly clean, organize, and purge all areas of our home will leave us with the best return on investment. Routinely purging areas, cabinets, rooms, and closets of unwanted or unneeded items will help us control the amount of belongings that are left for us to organize.

So what method are you using to manage the clutter in your life? Does it often feel like a melting ice cream cone and you just can't keep up with the mess? If so, it's probably time to try a new method of organizing to ensure that you get the most enjoyment out of your home and your life.